Region's COVID-19 positives lag statewide drop

Randy Griffith, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
·2 min read

May 15—While the statewide COVD-19 report continues a downward trend, local counties' data are mixed, the Department of Health's weekly Early Warning Monitoring System update shows.

The portion of all coronavirus tests coming back positive has dropped statewide from 6.5% to 5.3%. It's the first time the positivity rate has been under 6% since early March, when it was 5.7% The health department has noted positivity under 5% is considered low risk.

All eight counties in the region have positivity rates above the state average, with Bedford County reporting the highest at 9.4% and Cambria next with 7.0% positive. Cambria was also the only area county with a significant increase in positivity, up from 5.7% last week.

Positivity rates in other counties across the region were 6.8% in Indiana, 6.7% in Blair, 6.6% in Clearfield, 6.1% in Somerset, 5.6% in Centre and 5.4% in Westmoreland.

There were 1,643 additional positive cases of COVID-19 across Pennsylvania in the department's daily update, bringing the statewide total to 1,182,922.

Single deaths in Blair and Westmoreland counties were the region's only fatalities among 27 new deaths statewide, bringing the total to 26,724 deaths attributed to COVID-19.

Vaccine providers have administered 9,534,664 doses and 4,091,982 people now are fully vaccinated, including 47.3% of all adults.

Another 1,689,579 people are partially vaccinated, meaning they have received one dose of a two-dose vaccine.

The state has now moved from 10th place to ninth in the nation for first doses by population, with 54% of all Pennsylvanians receiving at least one dose.

Statewide, 5,781,561 people have received at least their first dose.

The health department on Friday clarified that private businesses, school districts and other organizations may still require masks to be worn in their facilities.

"If you are fully vaccinated, it is an incentive to be able to remove your mask, but businesses and workplaces may still require this added layer of protection for their employees or customers that may have underlying conditions that continue to make them vulnerable to this virus," Alison Beam, acting health secretary, said in a press release.

"We ask that Pennsylvanians continue to be kind and respectful to each other as we continue to fight COVID-19 in our communities and continue to get residents vaccinated."